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We crossed by ferry from
Chaiten, in Patagonia, to Chiloe Island with its peaceful farmed landscape. As we entered the archipelago we watched pelicans
diving and flocks of small petrels skimming across the water.
| Pacific Ocean Chloe |
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From Castro we traveled
across the island to Chiloe National Park. The highlight was a 40km walk to Cole Cole beach (12 hours return). For the first
4 hours we walked along a desolate beach accompanied by oyster catchers, gulls and sand pipers, with their plaintive cries,
and the rhythmic surge of the sea. Occasionally we passed indigenous family groups harvesting mussels. From the beach we crossed
a steep forested headland along a deeply eroded track. We finally reached the isolated Cole Cole beach with its perfect crescent
of sand.
| typical wooden church |
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Returning to Castro we
spent a day visiting the 18th century wooden churches that are dotted across the islands. Our final trip was
to Ancud and Isla Punihuil to see a Humbolt and Magellanic penguin colony . We were just in time to see a few penguins before
they left after the breeding season and watched sea otters at play.
| Sea Otter |
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| Mount Osorno |
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A short bus and ferry journey returned
us to the Lake District and the small touristy town of Puerto Varas on the edge
of Lake Llanquihue with perfect views of the snowcapped Osorno Volcano. A dramatic 12 hour journey across the Andes, using 4 buses and 3 boats, with outstanding views of Osorno, Puintiagudo
and Tronador snowcapped volcanoes and forests reflected in Emerald green lakes,
brought us to the town of San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina.
| Bariloche from the ridge |
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Bariloche is beautifully set on the edge
of the vast cobalt blue lake Nahuel Huapi. It is surrounded by high bleak snow dusted Andean peaks. Pockets of forest sit
in the protected valleys. We took a ski lift up to Cerro Catedral, where, on the mountain ridge, we were treated to the magnificent
view of 4 Condors gliding on the thermals. We had spectacular views down to the lake and valleys below.
Unfortunately the next day it rained and our planned hikes in Nahuel Huapi National Park were
cancelled. We still had a one day hike to see Mount Tronador´s glacier which creeps over the mountain ridges creating several
waterfalls cascading into a rock amphitheatre.
| Tronador Glacier |
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| Lookout San Martin de los Andes |
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Leaving Bariloche by bus we passed 7 lakes
to reach San Martin De Los Andes, a small German Chalet style settlement on the shores of Lake Lacar. The streets were lined
with berried trees and rose bushes. We hiked up to a couple of lookouts with superb views of the rich blue lake and its surrounding
forests.
| Pucon Town |
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On a 6 hour bus journey
we re-crossed the Andes through Lanin National Park, with its ancient Monkey Puzzle forest, to the town of Pucon which sits
in the shadow of the active Villarrica volcano. When we walked through the town at night we could see the dull red glow of
the magma reflected on the clouds.
| At the summit Villarrica |
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| Sliding down the volcano |
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We
decided to climb the volcano and have a look into the crater. Getting kitted up was enough to strike fear into the
heart with ice boots, ice axe, crampons, earmuffs, helmet, gas mask and a glissading (ice sliding ) nappy. A 6 hour, 1400m
hike, over volcanic rock and a zig zag path up the snow cone brought our group to the
rim of the sulpher smoking volcano. The views were breathtaking across
the landscape dotted with volcanoes, lakes and mountain ridges. It took 2 hours to slide down the snow cone.
Often we felt we were sliding off the edge
of the mountain. We think this is called an adrenalin rush. The final descent over volcanic screed seemed easy.
The following day we had a beautiful hike
in Huerquehue National Park among the lakes and Araucaria trees (Monkey Puzzle trees).
| Monkey Puzzle Tree |
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| Valparaso |
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We left the Lake district behind on an
overnight bus to the historical coastal city of Valparaiso. Here we spent a couple of days exploring the town riding vernacular
railways which gave panoramic views of the port, town and sea. We really felt the change in tempo with the heat and small
alley ways covered in Bougainvillea and Morning Glory. Eating in cafes with high ceilings, casement windows and marbled floors,
weathered by time, created a sense of colonial elegance.
A 90 minute bus ride to Santiago shocked
our senses by being in a major city with its metro, tree lined avenues and graffiti. We found a tranquil place to stay in
Barrio Brazil in a 19th century mansion.
| Moai at dusk |
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We took a 5 hour flight to Easter Island
which is one of the most isolated places on Earth. It is 3700km from South America and 1900km to Pitcairn, the nearest populated
island. From Hanga Roa, the only settlement on the Island, we spent a week exploring.
This tiny triangular Island (117 sq km)
was created by 3 volcanoes about 10,000 years ago. It is almost treeless with an undulating grassy landscape littered with
volcanic rock. The Pacific Ocean creates a huge surf which can be heard all over the Island. Around the coast are 19 stone
Ahu´s, (platforms) on which the Moai (carved stone heads) sit.
| Moai pushed over |
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Steeped in mystery these
unique colossal statues, some over 100 tons raise many questions. No one really knows how they were transported across the
Island from the quarry or their significance to the people,870 Moai were carved over an 800 year period, 397 still remain
in the quarry area. The sad history of Easter Island has effectively wiped out the knowledge of the past through internal
warfare that pushed over all the Moai and change of religion to the “Birdman” culture. The Peruvian slave trade
which removed the people with knowledge, fifteen men were returned, at the insistence of the missionaries, but they brought
back diseases that wiped out another section of population. Christianity and deportation added a final toll.
| Reconstructed Ahu |
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| Quarry Volcano |
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Recently about 5 platforms
of Moai have been restored to give an impression of what the island would have looked like in its prime. It was incredibly
moving to visit the Moai at dawn and dusk where they seem to radiate power. They face inwards away from the sea to the old
villages and gaze up to the sky. We walked to the rim of the quarry volcano which is strewn with unfinished carvings, now
half buried, this was the most strikingly beautiful part of the Island, with its deep volcanic lake and panoramic vistas.
| Sun set Easter Island |
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On our final day we went snorkeling with
turtles, bright yellow butterfly fish and small schools of blue surgeon fish before flying back to Santiago. We left Easter Island pondering its mysteries.
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